AP confirms NYT report on phased hostage deal being drafted by US

The Associated Press confirms a New York Times report on a two-part plan for the release of hostages kidnapped from Israel and a pause in fighting of up to two months, citing two senior administration officials.

Like the New York Times, the AP report notes that CIA director Bill Burns is expected to discuss the contours of the emerging agreement when he meets on Sunday in France with David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel for talks centered on the hostage negotiations.

Burns heads to France for the high-level talks after White House senior adviser Brett McGurk spent much of the last week in the Mideast for talks on the hostage situation.

If Burns sees progress in his talks in France, Biden is expected to dispatch McGurk back to the Mideast quickly to try to complete an agreement.